Trolley catcher



P. N. VAN EPP.

TROLLEY CATCHER.

WAHM..

APPLICATION EILED FEB. 2,1922.

Patet Oct. 241., 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

.P l L Paul N-Vah Epic www5 P. N. VAN EPP.

TROLLEY CATCHER. APPLxcATxoN man H:.2.1922.-

1l BSAQQ, Patented Oct. 24, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

3mm/MM Tv N. van Epis i i "Patented @et 2d, im@

` not automatically draw y out human aid.`

ication.` l y l The present trolley `catcher isgan improvey upward movement` i shortest space of `-time and ,ame

PAUL 03F LEVELAND, Olrlrl', ASS-IGNOROF ONE-THI3ED TO THE ECLIPSE ianrnwar snqerrr contratar-er geiinvnnnnn, onto, a conrohnnrron or cerro.

ernennen' encierran.

` Application lifiledf'ebrnary if, 19312."

y To all tolto/.afrit concern .lle it known that L PAUL lll-Q a citizen oit` the United l Cleveland,

n VAN EPP, States, residing at in the county ofk Cuyahoga and tt/ate ot ()him have invented `certain new and useful llmproven'lents in a Trolley itl: rtcher` `oit' which the following is a speciment in that class o'ftrolley catchers in which a rapidly. revolvlngreel is adapted lto posr tively actuate ya locl'nngA `member or pawl to arrest and stop the reel `and the unxvinding y el `the trolley rope when the trolley acci-` dentally leaves thieetrolley Wire. ln `such trolley catchers the locking member or pavvl of 'rotation of af stop lug'` on the reel,` and one `trouble or fault incident tlieretoisthat the islriclred outfsuddenly inwthe patl points orcorners ofthe stop lug soon be :come battered and useless. i

also-uncertain and slow, failing to respond in time yto prevent the trolley from reaching an objectionable height orv "angle, and 1n A this connection,` it should be understood that y 4attcrnlant is required `to pull down the trolleyl to its original Working position bel ol ma promptly acting` mechanism, all ot which `it `"neath the trolley Wire. Hence,

`the necessity ydurable and reliable device and "Iisiny object to attainand `give in thepreslent, structure.` y 4 l i 4 y y h As shownln the annexed drawings, `Fig.` l `1s a reducedV viewl of lmy improved `trolley Qcaxzloerj looking down upon the1 top` 'side thereof, and 21is a y l l Figi 3 a front vievvon the same scale oit theI sameparts. Fig. 4; isa plan view ofthe yoke member Whlclrfliunctlons to confine the y reel `and anchor thespringand also support "5350 y `line of the the frontend oir' y i `as ashait l'or the reel. "Fig, 5 1s an* enlarged sectional viewin a vertical plane on the tie bolt and shalt.` Fig. Sis a transverse section 1n a vertical plane on line (iQ-6 1 of v5, showing` the `maximum out` the pivoted `paWlV under nornial tor *slow rotative movementsof the y example as found The action .is

Vwhichg When side elevation and the tie bolt ivhich serves semi no. 533,503.

reel, and ig. 7 isa similar view showing pawl .lowered in full lines to `prevent interference and engagement of its pointed end th `the pointed end of the stop lug on the ree F 1w.

lreel `on line 8-8 oi' Fig, showing the `spiral spring` which rotates the reel and takes up the slaclr in the trolley rope.

risexeinpliiied herein, the trolley catcher comprises adished supporting member 2 having an annular flange 3 `at its rear and closed sidef-ladapted to be `inserted into a braclretor holder, not shown, but lsuchl for in general use on street cars` where `trolley `catchersV are employed.. The y pivoted catch 5 on the upper side Vof member '2 is also a standard part ci such `equipment,` and therefore, not a part of this invention,` which maybe said to reside in the structure substantially asfolloiys: Thus7 member 2 is provided lat its center with a boss having a screw-threaded opening adapted to receive relatively long` `bolt screwed into place, urnay be locked `in fixed position by a `nut 8. The front portion oi bolt 7 extends through and is supported Within a short cylindrical eX- tension forming` an integral part of a yoke member l() having rearwardly-extending "arms ll--Jfl adapted to overlap the round sidesoilleinber and to extend atthei'r straightextremitiesinto open channelslQv in said sides. rllhe front vertical edge 13 of each channel is beveled,l see Fig; l, and .under-cnt lips or shoulders lll are providedy upon the .inner faces of arms ll to interlock with said beveled edges 13, `and lin actual practice the-armsll are made to clasp said arms being in eli-ect spring arms to effect a tis'ht and noiseless `union betWeent-he parte; `The head ,l5 of `bolt 7fdra-Ws and` locks `this yoke member in place, and `in so doing the inner end el? cylindrical extension l) ladapted to abut `against `the frontend l ot hub i6 of reel 17 which is sleeved to rotate freely upon bolt or shaft 7 at the `front side ox "boss G, seal? Si strong' coiled spring' 18 is lionsedfivithin reel 17 and detachably connected atits ini'ier end y105` with the shouldered extension 9 `of yoke `meniiber l0, While the outerend ot the spring1 is. trictionally engaged with the ribbed interior Wall ot the rech see Fig. 8 so that the reel will operate to keep. the trolley rope A1l( 8 1s a cross section of the 60 j Jormly spaced its lenoth on a curve eccentric to the axis andA with the outer end 22 thereof concentric with the axis and spaced apart from the inner end ot the next or succeeding rib.

During the rotation of reel 2 these ribs 2l successively engage and raise a pawl or locking' bar 23 which is pivoted at one end to the recessed side 4iot stationary member 2. `The outer free end of pawl 23 moves into and out of the path ot rotation of lugs 2O and has a 'V -shaped bottom portion 24- resting and .riding on the lateral ribs or iianges 2l, and a coiled spring 25 connected to the pawl maintains this riding contact except under sudden and 'rapid rotation of the reel. Under a slower and normal rotation,

the free end of the pawl is positively'raised until it extends into the path of rotation of an approaching lug 20. However, as the reel continues to rotate without acceleration and thev advancing lug nears the end of the pawl, the riding portion 2st at the'bottom of the pawl reaches the outer end of rib 2i and rides down over this end, the inclined face 26 ot the pawl permitting this action, and spring 25 functioning to effect more positive and rapid action. Consequently under moderate speeds of rotation the `free' end of the pawl is lowered in time as each lue' a a )roaches it but is uickl s o Y :again: placed into the path of rotation'of thev next or succeeding lug 20.

raised again by the next rib so that its end is The tension of spring 25 on the pawl is nearly 'constant and draws the pawl away -from thepath of the lugs as long as the reel rotation is normal, but a swift rotation,

such asproduced by a trolley pole leaving the wire, causes the reel and lugs thereon to ymove so rapidly that one lug will catch the end ot the pawl before the spring can pull it out of the plane of rotation of that lug. rllhis lifts the free end oi' the pawl until it comes i into contact with the outer wall of the reel supporting member 2, thus stopping the reel 'from rotating'iurther in a rope unwinding direction.

In replacing the trolley the spring-actuatedl reel turns in a rope-winding direction, and the lug is backed away trom and releases thepawl, thereby allowing the spring to pull the pawl down to its normal position with its riding point resting on a rib 2l, substantially as shown in Fig. 7, so that the parts are again set as in the beginning.

In other trolley catchers the locking memmovement it is necessary that the end oil the 'i locking member pass a dead center line to enter the path oi' the lug rotation at the very time the lugs are rotating rapidly, which rcsults in the point of the locking member striking the point ot the rotating lugs to the detriment and damage of one or both ot' said parts, and with these point-s in a battered condition the catcher soon becomes inoperative and useless.

1n my improved catcher herein described the locking member or pawl is normally and positively projected into the path ot the lugs rotation whenever the rcel rotates, whether tast or slow; its entrance into the path ot rotation is positive; it is not kicked in by rapid rotation; it enters the path of rotation at a neutral point remote from the advancing lug; and is held there positively for a fixed interval oi time; and it does not become battered by contact with the points oi' the luOs.

riefly, whenever the reel rotates the locking member or pawl is successively interposed and upheld for an interval ot time in front of each approaching lug, and does not depend upon a chance kiek-out to 'intercept the rapid rotation of the lugs, thus making this catcher respond quickly in time of need and absolutely positive in its action, and not subject to the ordinary hit-or-miss principle employed in other catchers.

What I claim, is-

l. A trolley catcher, comprising a spring actuated rope-winding reel and a support therefor, said reel having a plurality ol beveled stop lugs and a corresponding nui ber of partly eccentric and concentric ribs at one side thereof, alot-.king pawl pivotally mounted upon said support adapted to engage said ribs and to be moved into and out ot the path of rotation oi said lugs successively, and a spring adapted to maintain said pawl in riding contact with said ribs except under sudden and rapid rotation of said reel.

2. A trolley catcher, comprising` a sprinp; actuated rope-winding rcel, a supporting` member for said reel, said reel having a plurality of pointed stop lugs at uniformly spaced intervals at one side thereot and a projecting rib opposite euch stop luf." nearer the axis of the reel, each rib extending Vl'roni its inner end eccentric with the axis and wi th an outer end portion concentric with the axis an d terminating opposite the inner end o the succeeding rib, a locking pawl pivotcd to said support having a beveled portion adapted to rest and ride upon said ribs to move the .tree end ot the )awl positively into the path o'i rotation o said stop lugs, and a fl (l lil() 

